Gregory Nelson Fernandez

"Persist, Pivot, or Concede. It's up to us, our choice every time".

-Mathew Mcconaughey; Green lights

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our son, Gregory Nelson Fernandez on February 9, 2025. Gregory was born on October 1, 1986 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. He grew up in Queens, New York and later moved to Holbrook, New York with his two brothers, Marcus and Nicholas and his parents, Marcus and Roxana when he was 14 years old.

Gregory attended Sachem High School and graduated in 2004. He attended University at Buffalo for one year and joined the United States Navy in 2007. He attended boot camp training in Chicago, Illinois. After completing his training, he attended Corps School (A) and graduated as a Corpsman. He later attended Corps School (B) and graduated as a Dental Technician. Gregory was subsequently deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, where he served as the dental technician at the Navy base. In 2010, he was sent to Camp Pendleton in Southern California to prepare for his deployment in Kuwait. While in the Navy, Gregory earned:

1 National Defense Service Medal

1 Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

1 Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

1 Sea Service Deployment Ribbon

3 Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbons

1 Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon; and

most notably 2 Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, which is a decoration given to members of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps for exceptional service.

In 2011, Gregory was honorably discharged and enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh. In 2013, Gregory graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Greg's passion in life was always helping others. He made sure to share everything he learned with others. He was a "motivator" and when he set his mind to do something, it was always "beast mode." In his last position as Prosthetics Representative,

Assistant Chief of Centralized Purchasing, Implant Liaison, for the VA in Manhattan, Gregory felt immense pride and satisfaction helping fellow veterans.

Greg met his dear wife Alexa in 2019 and married her on November 19, 2021. They had their first child, Kyler on March 5, 2022. Greg will be greatly missed by his loving children, Frankie, Summer, Kyler and his "rock," Alexa. His parents, Marcus & Roxana, his brothers Marcus & Nicholas, his aunts, Frances & Cindy, his uncle, Nelson, his grandmothers, Francisca & Juana, his grandfather, Nelson, his godmother, Elizabeth and all his cousins and friends will remember Gregory every day of their life. Gregory, until we meet again...